The last three weeks of my semester in Thailand was spent doing individual/small group research on a topic of our choice that was focused in Isaan. I chose to do traditional Isaan Music and Dance – mostly focused on Morlum or Morlum Sing – a form of traditional music that has roots to Laos. (Yes, the Motherland) My partner and I – Kat – interviewed a national recognized morlum singer, in addition to academics and two young people from Isaan who are trying to preserve this tradition through their performances. We were fortunate enough to follow these two people – Max and Dork Moeir – as their life as a Morlum performer. The Concerts themselves were quite the spectacle, a lot of fun and interesting events to be had. A goal I had going into the research was to see the evolution of morlum and whether or not it is being retained in its traditional form. There was many opinions on this as the younger generations through they were preserving this art form while the older generation did not. The academics argued that while the branches of traditional morlum might not survive 50 -100 years from now – traditional morlum itself could probably stay alive. I am glad that I chose this project because it gave me a chance to learn about the music I always heard growing up at Lao get togethers and parties. I was glad to know about this very bold art form from my parent’s culture. My final project was in the form of a photo essay and I presented a gallery to my class and professors which was cool seeing as I never thought I would get to do something like that. The program and my time in Thailand seemed to have gone by in a blink of an eye. I could remember the night I left my home – in the dark winter evening – almost in some ways dreading my leave, as I didn’t know if I could hand another semester abroad seeing as I had missed home so badly the last few weeks in South Africa. But it went by just like that – in a serious flash –coming to Thailand was an experience I am very grateful for – I came to learn Thai – but ended up learning a lot about myself and the world. Sounds cheesy but its true. I am glad that I got to experience a part of Thailand that many tourists do not. While I am someone who favors the more populated and popular city – I found myself having this enchanting relationship with Khon Kaen – as it is in this phase of becoming something new and to be there during its transformation made me feel fortunate. My time in Khon Kaen would have not been what it was without the friends I made while I was abroad, my ajaans, and last but not least – my roommate Donut . By the end of my program and Thailand I had completed 10 homestays in both South Africa and Thailand – that number itself baffles me. Before South Africa and even afterwards- I was scared of the homestays and being hosted by families in foreign countries – it takes a lot of trust for a family to take foreign stranger in – and I was just sometimes so baffled at that thought. If you know me personally – I am someone who gets nervous all the time in social situations and generally am apprehensive of people. The homestays taught me the beauty of how humans can be kind and how these kind humans are in abundance. If I take anything away from my study abroad experience even 100 years from now – it is this mere fact that human beings that are kind do exist. My travels ended with a three 3 “family vacation” in my parent’s home country of Laos – where my mother actually met up with me after my program ended. I visited the capital , Vientiene, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Salavin and of course my parents home province of Savannahket. Savannahkhet has a shortened name of “Savan” among locals – “Savan” also means heaven – staying here was in some ways heaven – life is rather simple – or for me it was simple – seeing as my cousins were so excited to see me they cooked and served me all my meals. I got to travel where I wanted to go and see what I wanted to see. My vacation was pretty relaxing after having a busy semester in Thailand. I was glad to see my family who I have not seen in 11 years. The vacation made me realize what my parents left at the age of 20 when they escaped communist Laos and what they actually sacrificed – the entity of a Lao family. It was quite sad and emotional for me to realize this – knowing that if I were closer to my family in Laos – I might not actually have the life I have now. Traveling makes you think a lot – and for someone who has been traveling for the last 8 months – and already thinks a lot – traveling can take a toll on you that is sometimes brutal but also beautiful. I can’t describe my feelings into words as I depart. I feel extremely blessed and lucky – that a small town girl from the sticks who is also broke – got chance of a lifetime to see study abroad for a year. This was my dream – and my dream came true. I thank the heavens, my parents, my scholarship donors, professors, and friends for all of their support in my journey. I would not have been able to do these without you all. So thank you so so much for encouraging me and inspiring me. Love, Kara

“Ringing in the New Year, Silk Worms, Heat Waves and More!“ Sorry for yet another delay- life abroad is rather chaotic and crazy, I had a whole slew of assignments due in the final month, which it made it hard to blog leisurely. I went on after my program to vacation in Laos for 3 weeks and did not think about blogging until today. So I will be doing my final blog post in two separate posts. When I had last written my post, I had actually been anticipating the arrival of Songkran, also known as the New Year! It has been my dream to be in either Laos or Southeast Asia in general for the New Year and here I was in Thailand and most importantly Isan where the New Year celebration is less invaded by farangs (foreigners) than it is in either Bangkok or Chiang Mai. To give some background, Songkran is suppose to be a time of renewal, merit making and requests to have a good crops in the following year to come. What use to be just a cup of water poured down your back how now evolved into this water fight that actually has no explanation other than the fact that its just a good and fun time. (Hm – this is also debateable) However, the Songkran is no doubt the largest and funnest water fight I have ever been to in my life! Out of the 3 days, I went out for two of them and had a blast chilling on Khon Kaen’s Kow Neau Road (Sticky Rice Road) and had a time I wont ever forget. I invested in a water gun backpack in the form of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch! I was in love with my backpack and squirting everyone with water. There was multiple concerts on the road and each stage had a different promotion or sponsor rather and there were a lot of goodies being passed out for free. On the final night, I enjoyed a concert in downtown Khon Kaen- completely soaked and cold. It was just the perfect ending for one my favorite cultural holidays. After Songkran, it was time to start our final unit on Gender. The week consisted of many interesting exchanges, including meeting the most famous Transgender activist in Thailand! However, I was very fascinated about the exchanges we had with village weavers, as it was also our homestay for that week! The process of Thai silk weaving is fascinating from start to finish. My mother had always spoke about how silk making gave her heartache during her childhood because of how you had to boil the worms in their cocoons(and kill them) and I could not believe that I was seeing that process in person. And yes, I too had some heartache and finally became sympathetic with my mother. However, the most fascinating part about the silk weaving process was how the traditional Isan design process also known as mudmee- this skill has been passed on from generation to generation to create beautiful and colorful beautiful weaving pieces. Mudmee uses rope or plastic to tie pieces of silk thread tightly so that is not penetrated through the dying process. The tying is strategically done is taught through generations. The skill is very advanced as even the slightest mishap can taint the entire silk fabric. I found it amazing how some of the most intricate and beautiful things in life are not actually learned in school but at home. I was glad that we could conclude the program with a interesting theme before moving on to our research topics. In my next post – I will talk about my research project about traditional Isaan Music and my overall reflection about my time in Thailand and Laos.

Oh hey, whats up? How long has it been two months+? Ouch, sorry for the LONG overdue blog post. Life has been extremely crazy and I am finding it hard to find productive “me” time versus lazy me time. But hey, I mean with Scandal, Hart of Dixie, GIRLS, and a new season of House of Cards coming out, can you really blame me for wanting to for go this post? Sorry, Ma. What a lame excuse I know. However, studying in Thailand especially under the circumstances of martial law has made life a bit eerie in some ways. I have found no words to describe how I feel about learning about Thailand, the region of Isan and globalization in general. I have gone through 4/5 unit lessons I am suppose to learning while abroad with CIEE. These units were Agriculture, Politics, Chiang Mai and Tourism. During our agriculture unit, we traveled to the province of Yosthon and had a homestay with 100% organic farmers. And yes, the food was freaking delicious! We learned about the process of switching to organic from chemical farming in addition to learning about the consequences of chemical farming. To spend time on a rural farm made me very nostalgic to the time I spent in Lao with my grandmother at 9. My time in the agriculture unit made me miss my grandmother and my mother alot. There was a lot of simplicity and a carefree attitude that can only be understood if you could come to this village and see the farmers way of life. During the politics unit, it was interesting to see the two sides of view in what is currently a hot political climate right now in Thailand. This unit taught me a lot but most important to know that any heated debate, to realize that there are always two sides of an argument. This was an interesting week but I can't say more beyond this in writing. We are just gonna have to grab coffee to talk about it more when I get back if you want to learn more!

After this unit, I had a chance to spend a three day weekend in Bangkok. It was quite a weekend as I got make Buddhist pilgrimages to all the temples my parents always talked about growing up. I went to the famed Grand Palace and saw the Emerald Buddha and Reclining Buddha. I hope to one day take my parents to these places as they have never been. This is not a weekend I will forget. Moving on to Chaing Mai, this was not only a special unit because it required a travel and was our comparative unit but because I was the “unit facilitator” for this unit. This means I was in charge of helping my program peers through our exchanges throughout the week and headed a project output for our unit. To go to a different region of Thailand and become more aware of the different cultures and ethnic groups that are in what seems to be a homogenous country was very exciting. Chiang Mai is probably one of the most popular cities people know of outside of Thailand and I am happy that I got to see it. Despite the fact it was burning season and the smog blocked a lot of views and airways—I think everyone cant leave Thailand without going to Chiang Mai. Our 4th unit was to the island of Koh Chang (off the coast of Cambodia but still in Thailand) to study eco tourism. Koh Chang is divided into what is the right side and left side. Those who want to experience a typical island touristy experience are said to go the right but those who want a more authentic experience with the locals. We stayed in a “homestay” but unlike the traditional homestay that I’ve spoked about in the last year – this one was actually a home stay tourist can choose to stay at rather than staying at a hostel or a hotel. It gives you a chance to live with a family and interact with them during your stay. It was unreal to wake up on a tropical island every morning and think that this was for school. I learned a lot about the effects of tourism to an area that is underdeveloped and how it could be dangerous or beneficial. Going to Koh Chang was no on the original plan for our study but I am glad that we had the opportunity to explore this area. Currently, I am on spring break in the southern area known as Krabi. Krabi is south of Phukhet, beautiful and slightly less touristy. You know all those pictures you see of Thailand beaches with blue waters, white sand, green cliffs, and beauty? Yeah I am in that part of Thailand. While being abroad seems like a dream, being in this area is even more surreal. It’s funny, I didn’t grow up going on many vacations (or I don’t remember vacationing – mom says we did) and when I have time away from work or school, I always feel like doing nothing. This mentality still carries while I am even here in a tropical beach area. Call me crazy but I love spring-cleaning, reading and vegging out for a vacation despite the fact that I LOVE travelling. However, I did make some day trips out the beach, explored the area and spend quality time with my friends from the program. Songkran (New Year) starts Monday and I cannot wait – I will be back in Khon Kaen for it and its been a life long goal of mine to be able to celebrate the New Year in Southeast Asia. Life in Khon Kaen is great. The food is great, the people are even more great. However, I do miss home a lot and more often than I did in South Africa, which is shocking. But I have to take into account that I have spent a significant time away from home. Its great that I am taking the time to learn the native language of my parents, and hope that I can communicate more to them when I come home in June. I cant believe that time has gone by this fast, it seems like yesterday I was only packing for South Africa in August and I am 2 months away from being home. I guess a lot of my lack of recording and reporting is due to my disbelief that I am almost done with my crazy year abroad. I am sorry for abandoning the blog for a while but I promise that I am going to make an effort to be more diligent!

So I have been settled in Thailand for little over a week now. After about 20 hours of travel to Boston to Bangkok and then a 7 hour bus ride to Khon Kaen, I am safe, still healthy and sound! This semester, I take on my study abroad journey with CIEE, Center for International Exchange. While I am officially enrolled at Khon Kaen University in the Northeast of Thailand, I do not physically take classes on campus but the CIEE headquarters. My theme this semester is a theme I have loved since I was 14 years old; development and globalization. Similar to my semester in South Africa, I take courses focused on social research methods, the native language of the country (in this case, Thai), direct research and the human perspective on development and the environment. We started off our program at a result about 40 minutes away from Khon Kaen city, it was beautiful and completely surreal to have spent our time at a place that had so much character culturally and physically. We also visited a very large Buddha that was built in the mountains and was kind of a difficult hike to get up but so worth the view. We also visited monuments that mean a lot religiously and spiritually for the people of Khon Kaen, and it was nice to have an introduction to the Issan People of Thailand. While I live in Khon Kaen, I will be staying in a university apartment (but it is more of an American dorm style) with a Thai roommate who speaks Thai and some English. I met my roommate last weekend, her name is Doughnut (this is a nickname not a formal name) and she is in her final semester studying medical science. She is very sweet and kind and I am really happy to be placed as her roommate. She had made sure I feel comfortable, taken me out to eat, and given me generous riThere are also homestays throughout the semester and I believe there are roughly 6. Each homestay are in communities that face the problems that we are studying throughout the semester. These problems include agriculture, forest, politics, mining and more. There is also a one-week excursion in Chaing Mai, which I am super excited about. I will admit that there is nothing extremely shocking about Thailand for me since I have been to Laos before and since Issan used to be apart of Laos before the French colonization, a lot of the food and culture I grew up with is all very much the same. However, I will admit at how shocked I am with the development that has occurred in the last 10 years in this area seeing as refrigeration was a fairly new concept back in 2003. There are paved roads, westernized coffee shops, other ethnic restaurants and more. However, there is a extremely good amount of old culture left for me to enjoy the roots of Thai Issan culture. The food is also extremely delicious and extremely cheap, a plate of phad thai is about 35 baht, a little over 1 USD. Fruits are about 30 baht or less, so 1 USD or less. Everything is extremely fresh and authentic but there is a bit of western influence as there are McDonalds, KFC, Dairy Queen, ect. moving into town. However, the small food stands and street foods are highly patronized regardless, especially by us farangs (foriegners). I embark on my first homestay tomorrow for 3 days to be immerged in cultural and language exchange. You would think that having 4 homestays last semester would make me a pro at this, but I am stil extremely nervous to stay with strangers in a country that is not my home country. I hope this experience brings me great blessings, joys and great start to my new semester in a new world! XOKK

This last week has been quite odd for me, as I have dealt with the excitement of returning home and the grief of leaving Cape Town, South Africa. I’ve cried a river already and I am just on my way to overcoming the ocean at this rate. It is very hard to describe what these last four months have meant to me. I would like to admit that I wasn’t too ignorant before I came to South Africa but as I conclude my stay and reflect on the stay, I realize that I actually was. I was ignorant to the sense that someone of my background, couldn’t possibly have cultural incompetence issues but I did. I’ve only ever been expose to two cultures at once in my life and while that is usually a lot more than most people in the world will experience, it certainly doesn’t set me free of coming to South Africa as an ignorant American student. While my previous experience of multiculturalism helped me cope with a lot of the difference between South Africa and America, I guess I was not ready for my life to change as much as it has in the last four months. I was not prepared for the challenge because I did not know there would be some but in the end, everything was beautifully worked out. Some of you know that my coming to South Africa was a “last minute decision”, my original hopes were to do the SIT International Honors Program for this semester where I would travel start my program in an American city and travel to South America, Asia and Africa focused on a theme about urban development/planning. Because this program was competitive, I did not secure a spot in time because my application was not submitted early enough. My back up plan to not getting into this program was to go explore with DIS in Copenhagen, after looking at the expensive program fees and realizing that it is very easy for me as an American to go to Europe, I decided to pass up a Euro study abroad experience. So how exactly did I get to South Africa? Well, I knew that I was for sure going to spend a semester in Thailand on the continent of Asia and thought that I should take my scholarship opportunity on another continent. With the very poor Spanish skills I have, I knew I wasn’t ready for South America and well, South Africa is known for is multifaceted population with many cultures and… THEY SPEAK ENGLISH! And bingo, South Africa it was. Also as a young teenager I was also very obsessed with Nelson Mandela and his teachings, my first ever high school report was written about him and I also read his book at the age of 14. I have had desires to go to South Africa to see what the country he revolutionized was like. I never thought the opportunity to go to South Africa would come as a study abroad option. Well, it is safe to say that everything happens for a reason. A lot of you close to me also know that I love serendipity and everything about this semester was so romantically serendipitous --- I CANT EVEN. (sorry I had to say it) I can’t believe the generosity I came across this semester from my program directors, the staff of my program, and of course the strangers who were my homestay families. Having four homestays and having them all be wonderful is an extremely lucky thing to come across, and I am so happy the heavens or whoever arranged for this. I learned the most from my trip by living with my families and I cant even begin to think about being the person I was before I met them. Before I had come to live with these families, I was just this little innocent spoiled girl (baby girl of the family persona) who was very wary of living with strangers. These homestays taught me love and compassion in a way that I didn’t know I could. And I am very grateful. One thing that I also learned how to do and am still struggling to cope with is the dynamics of group work and teamwork. My program was 23 students from all over the United States, one from Sweden and one from Bolivia and it was a very interesting group dynamic as a lot of us had strong personalities and got along very well in just the first few days. However, most of the time, I am not a people person, but I am a polite non-people person. Staying reserved while everyone thinks that I am shy but in reality I just cant stand people. This sounds harsh but I think I am person that loves privacy way too much and I also may love myself too much (but we can talk about this in another blog post, another day) but I did not realize being with the same group everyday for classes would put a strain on me and make it difficult for me to get along with people. I had my ups and down in being in a strong group dynamic, it often drove me crazy. However, the people that I met in the program were some of the nicest people I have met in my life regardless if I could not stand them as a whole some time. I made very close friends and had the opportunity to even live with some of them. What it funny about study abroad is that while you set out to learn about the people of the country but also learn about the people doing this study with and learn more about other parts of the world in the end. I was very grateful to study with the group that I did and I am happy they kept me grounded. Another opportunity that taught me a great deal was the Independent Study Project period of my time in Cape Town. After many struggles to develop a topic, I sought out to learn more about religious affiliated organizations that perform feeding schemes. I was aiming to look at the religious motivations to feed the hungry and help the poor. My studies took me on interesting endeavors, including going on a feeding scheme that were in the famous Cape Flats. I was scared and terrified to go on this feeding scheme but it ended up being the best days I had in Cape Town. I learned so much about the poverty that Cape Town still deals with as a legacy of apartheid and broken government that does not uphold the progressive values of its constitution. In addition to gaining a lot of academic experience with this hand on research, I was also astonished by the concept of Ubuntu by the locals whom I interacted with. The interviewers in which I had to go quite far from where I lived gave me a ride home to ensure my safety and security. This was something that totally surprised me but greatly enlightened me to what the concept of Ubuntu really was. If you aren’t familiar with Ubuntu, it translates into “human kindness. It is an idea from the Southern African region, which means literally "human-ness," and is often translated as "humanity toward others," but is often used in a more philosophical sense to mean "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity". This philosophy is real and alive in South Africa, the amount of generosity I have received this past four months have been incredible, so much so, I cant even put them in this blog post because it would be too long. To look at Ubuntu as just a philosophy the first day and see it come into action immediately afterwards was in some ways overwhelming, it has taught me to be a better person and look at the world in a new light. I’ve said time and time again but I feel incredibly blessed to have had this opportunity to study abroad. I am glad I came over my fears of being away from home for a long period of time, I am glad that I learned how to enjoy traveling and flights and I am extremely glad that I am person who has grown up and continues to grow everyday as I embrace the world around me and take advantage of the opportunities bestowed on me. There is still a lot more I need to learn about South Africa and the world. South Africa is a country that I will come back and visit because it is so beautiful amongst its landscape and the people. I am no longer scared to explore the world as much as I was before, and I have South Africa to thank for that. For everyone who has helped me get to this point in my life, where I am healthy enough to travel and happy enough to enjoy it: Thank you so much for your love and guidance. I’ll see all of you real soon, but make sure you get me before I jet set again to Thailand on Jan 19, 2015. Enkosi Kakulu, South Africa. Sobanana! (Thank you, South Africa. See you later!*) *there is no isiXhosa word for “Bye” only “see you later” XO KKP.S stay tuned for a slideshow I made for my group!

So Thanksgiving was just two days ago, and it was very eerie to say the least to be away from a holiday that means a lot to me and my family. This year my mother was also away from home, spending some time in Laos following the celebration of a wedding, so I can only imagine how weird it was for my two brothers, John and Jason to be without the only women in the house and half of our household. I didn’t realize what it meant to celebrate a "really American holiday", until I wasn’t in America because this past Thursday was just any regular Thursday in South Africa. I couldn’t even find a turkey to cook (not that I know how to cook a turkey), so I got a few roast chickens. With others in my program, we threw a potluck style Thanksgiving and had a celebration at the offices and classroom where our courses were held. Everyone brought delicious food, and we all spent was an eerie day for all us with laughter and full stomachs. I must admit, I was pretty hurt and distraught when I realized that I would not be home for Thanksgiving. But then I realized to be in the situation I was, I was actually quite lucky and even more so than others to be able to travel and study abroad. (I guess this is where I hashtag, “first world problems” - #firstworldproblems) The course of my life has drastically change this past year, I was able to get an internship in Chicago, IL at a national non-profit organization, I am blessed with the opportunity to not only study abroad once but twice as I head off to Thailand in January for 4 months to study at Khon Kaen University. I am very thankful for the scholarships I have received from various donors to make this year abroad possible and I am extremely thankful for the support system of friends and family I have back home to encourage me to expand my horizons. I sometimes feel that I live in a dream and I don’t know my life could have come to this. The things I have experienced while being away from home are truly a blessing. These were things I had always hoped for in life, but never knew that they might actually happen. As I follow the news back home of various matters such as Ferguson, I question more and more everyday of the person I would like to be for the world and for myself. I know that I have worked hard for everything that I have had the opportunity to experience, but in some ways I can’t help but think that I have also won the lottery. Some people are not as lucky. To realize how lucky I am does stir up a lot of feelings of guilt and questions of “Why Me?” but then turns into “Why not me?” and then “Why not anyone or everyone else?” I know this sounds like your “stereotypical story of any American girl who goes abroad and realizes how American she is” but I would like to think that my story is different. I think its different because I think I am coming to terms with realizing that I know who I am but I am still trying to decide on the person I want to be. Something like this could probably take years or a very long while before I understand the person I want to be and normally, this would make me cringe and cry not knowing but I think for the first time ever and I am okay with this. And for this awakening, I am truly grateful. See you in less than two weeks – XO KK

Hello! Sorry for what seems to be large gap between now and my last post. When I last posted, I was residing in Stellenbosch, also known as wine country. I lived with a lovely family of a husband, wife, a 7-year-old brother and a 4-year-old sister right on the Stellenbosch Golf Course, as my host father was the director of golf. The purpose of the Stellenbosch home stay is to give us insight as to what the Afrikaans lifestyle is like in South Africa. This does not necessarily mean that the purpose of this homestay is to see what a white family lives like as there were non-white families who also hosted but to see the way of the Afrikaaner lifestyle. There was much anxiety from the people in my program about visiting Stellenbosch, as it was the birthplace of apartheid, naturally we were all worried that we would stay with racist families. This stems from that fact that with our course instruction we have been fed a single narrative of apartheid, which is seeing it through the side of the oppressed black people. It was a great release of stress to realize that we all had false misconceptions about our families, while most were in fact not racist. To say that living in Stellenbosch (or my homestay in Stellenbosch) was a dream wouldn’t be fair given that I feel that my semester in South Africa has been a dream in itself, but it essentially was. We lived on security-guarded golf course, surrounded by mountain views and vineyards. I had no neighbors but the energizing company of my siblings took care of that “loneliness”. Anytime I needed wifi, I would make my way over to the clubhouse and sit down, get a drink and do some work. It was quite odd to think that this was my life for a week but it was. This was also the first homestay where my host family would take me out to dinner and lunch. We enjoyed a variety of food and I particularly enjoyed watching my little siblings devour salmon roses during this outings. However, my favorite meals where the nights where my parents would brie and I would watch them do it while I had a glass of wine. This is also where most of the conversation occurred with my parents and how I got to know more about them and their family. I had found out that my host father was the son of the director of marketing for South African Airways for 41 years. He has had the opportunity to travel the world since he was a young boy and has a very open-minded view about people and the world, and are raising his children with these values. These conversations definitely broke down my misconceptions about the Afrikaners of South Africa. It was quite sad to leave my homestay and all of the wine that came with it but I was excited to move on with my semester. I moved into Bo-Kaap right after Stellbosch the historically colored and Muslim community located right in the heart of Cape Town. If you ever seen pictures of Cape Town; Bo-Kaap is the part of the city that is bright and colorful because of all the painted houses. I lived with an older couple with no children, which was wonderful because my roommate and I got all the attention and love. I also ate eating delicious curry and expanded my knowledge of the cape coloreds in Cape Town in addition to the religion of Islam. I volunteered with my Ma at a religious march/parade. And to my surprise, I went to visit my first mosque and it was the first mosque ever built in the Southern Hemisphere! The colored community in Bo-Kaap speaks Afrikaans and has a different way of life from the isiXhosa people of South Africa. As a result of apartheid, there is on going identity struggle that is very unique of the cape coloreds of South Africa that often deal with a “Not Black Enough, Not White Enough” ideology. It is a very confusing concept to understand, being a foreigner but a very interesting one nonetheless. To constantly hear constant expressions of oppression, in a post apartheid South African was in some cases shocking because I simply did not know how to respond. It made me realize the power and legacy authority has on how people view themselves in society and how they view other people in the world. It was with this realization, I was glad to have chosen South Africa and SIT for my fall semester abroad because I wouldn’t have never been able to experience this trauma. For the last two weeks, I have been living independently with three other girls from my program in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. It has been interesting experience to be “on my own” in a different country and while it took a while for my research to start, I am happy with my topic. Stay Tuned to find out what I am doing, and I promise to suck less at posting! XO KK

I have finally but sadly returned from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town after a weeklong excursion in the village of Tshabo and a small weekend break in Chintsa at Buccaneers Backpackers. While the whole experience was incredible, I am happy to be back in the Western Cape where things are starting to feel like home even though I do not have a permanent home in Cape Town. During my time in the Eastern Cape and the village of Tshabo, life was simple, humble and incredibly enriching. The house I lived in was a one single room home where you can visibly see the living area, the bed, and the kitchen right when you walk in. The toilet is outside from the house right across the yard and the water faucet is also outside. In some cases, some homes had a separate house just for beds for when guests came over. I however still stayed in the main house with my roommate from my program while the family went into the “guest house” to sleep at night. Our time in Tshabo was an excursion and while there were no classes, I still learned a great deal. There were two cultural days to which we celebrated the heritage of the isiXhosa people with the village and the local high school. Our other cultural day was about teaching our SIT program about the specifics of food and more culture in the isiXhosa household. The one-day of so-called “academics” that we did have was the day we went to the Steve Biko center to learn more about the Black Consciousness Movement and the ideology of Steve Biko. The center provides a lot of opportunities for education about the history of apartheid and the ideology. I appreciated that it was not only confined to learning about the past but also focused about moving forward through open dialogue about race. As time went on in the village, I was starting to get used to the simplicity and the habits of the home. The eight days went by way too fast. I had developed deep relationships with the children in my home and I was terribly heart broken to leave them. They found much joy in the simple things and woke up with a smile every day. I will never forget them. When we left Tshabo, we headed to a hostel called the Bucaneeers Backpackers Lodge that was located in Chintsa right on the beach. Though it was too cold to swim, the beach was beautiful to walk around. We also had the opportunity to do a Game Drive, which in South African terms is a safari. I assume it is called a game because it is a gamble as to whether or not you will see anything. The most amazing part of the game drive was actual going into the lion reserve where we saw both brown and white lions. While it took a while to find them, when we did, it was very exciting. The next day, I went with a smaller group to do a cheetah and lion interaction. While the Cheetahs were practically napping when we went to go interact them, it was still a very cool interaction. They are not as soft as I thought they would be. And also a lot lazier than I thought they actually were. My favorite interaction, however, was the elephant one. Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite animals are the elephant, the panda, and the peacock – in that order. The opportunity to see the African elephant is a memory I will never forget in my life. As most people know, the elephant is said to be the wisest animal in the world. They are also one of the only few animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror and have a deep family connection with one another. I was so excited to interact with the elephant that I was at one point flustered with my camera and the food I was given to feed. I was set off guard by one of the workers who offered to take my camera that I fed the elephant from the wrong side, so I was given a handful of pellets to feed it again. Yes, I fed it twice. (!!!!) And then it patted me on the back and arm and left twigs on my sweater! The trunk, was something that absolutely fascinated me, how it acted as a hand and so much more. I didn’t even want to leave the elephant when it was time; I am most definitely taking every chance I have to interact with more elephants in the future. We departed the Eastern Cape this past Sunday and made it back to Cape Town. Currently, I am living in Stellenbosch aka wine country on a golf course with a lovely family. I almost at my halfway mark of being done with my studies here in South Africa and there have been times where I do miss home terribly, mainly because I want my mother’s spicy papaya salad with some Lao marinated chicken wings and brisket. A lot of times I am missing my friends back at school terribly, and all of the shenanigans we get into. But I know that there is no better place for me learn and live life right now. I truly love my time here, but I do miss all of you. Thanks for reading and being supportive. XO KK

AH! I am sorry, friends and family for leaving you hanging for over a month while I explore the beautiful country of South Africa this semester. Life has been crazy, sad, happy, mad, and everything in between. I cant believe that I have spent 5 weeks in South Africa, so much has happened and I have learned a great deal, I am not sure how I am going to put this in one blog post….. Oh, how I regret not blogging now. However, in all of the many things that I have learned about African culture and South African culture in general is that time is measured in moments rather than a clock or calendar. And it is for this reason that it has taken me so long to blog because I would just rather not be dictated by the obligation to blog in accordance to a calendar but rather moments I feel like blogging. …such a great excuse for this way overdue post, right? In all seriousness though, I have actually lost track of time. I have crossed an abundance of things off of my bucket list, including going to an International Soccer Game, entering Nelson Mandela’s jail cell on Robben Island and more! This was only in my first month, and I cant wait to see what opportunities come my way! Hoping to hug an elephant soon and pet a cheetah… stay tuned! My first homestay in the township of Langa was my longest scheduled homestay. It was set up this way for strategic reasons in order to condition us to the life of South Africans and people of the isiXhosa culture. I stayed with two pensioners who had two granddaughters (my sisters) who stayed at varsity and boarding school during the weekdays but came home on the weekends. There were a lovely family, I am very grateful I got paired with such a great and understanding family who truly cared for me as their own child and of course, helped me with my isiXhosa homework. A lot of my conflicts that came with living in Langa only occurred when I was outside of Langa when I would get weird and apprehensive looks of how “unsafe” or “fununctional” Langa was. And of course, just like any good loyal resident, I defended Langa as much as I could; condoning locals for judging such a township they have never seen and saying how much I LOVED IT. When it was time to leave them and the township of Langa, I was very emotional. I had felt that I was just beginning to know Langa and its people and all of a sudden we had to leave. Something I am finding out that I will have to get use to while I study with SIT. After we departed Langa, we then headed to Simon’s Town, the last stop in the Cape Town Metro Line where we were welcomed by the beautiful ocean and mountains. The Cape of Good Hope, the Most Southwestern tip of Africa is only a twenty minute drive from Simons Town and we induldged in one of the most wonderful hikes of my life. The stay was only for 2 days and was suppose to transition us between Langa and our Eastern Cape excursion. As we headed to the Eastern Cape we took the 15 hour bus ride in order to experience what so many people from the Western Cape have to go through in order to go home. Home in South Africa is not exactly where you sleep but where the traditions and cultures begin. Many for a lot of reasons make the pilgrimage between the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. Usually these reasons involve capital and economics for the family in general. As we made our way to the Eastern Cape, one of the most fascinating facts about the trip was the bus routes only departed at night from the Western Cape. The ride from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape is suppose to be beautiful and incredible view but no one is able to see it from the standard Greyhound bus ride because it is taken at night. I then learned that the bus ride is purposely at night so that the locals are not able to see the abundance of land that is available and unoccupied. I couldn’t help but feel sorrow in the fact that the South Africans were barred from seeing their own country during this bus ride. After a humid and sweaty 15 hours, we finally arrived in King Williams Town where we had our last showers for a week. We then headed to the village where we are supposed to do our rural excursion. The village of Tshabo (pronounced Chabo) welcomed us with singing, dancing, laughter, and love. I met my new host mother and took a long walk to her open concept home with my roommate. Life is incredibly humble and simple, andI don’t mind it at all because everyone is so kind. Though I do miss showering, one week of sponge baths will not kill me, especially since the views are very nice. We head to the Steve Biko foundation sometime this week and I hope to learn about him, the Black Consciousness Movement and the Eastern Cape in general. I promise to blog more often, so you all are not left hanging. XO K

It feels unreal that I have been in South Africa for over a week now. I have explored many cities that are important to the history of South Africa and Apartheid. Though the release of Nelson Mandela and apartheid happened 20 years ago, it still feels that in some ways I am sitting right next to history as the South Africans have transitioned into this new way of life and build a country for themselves that includes togetherness. I landed in Johannesburg last Friday night and was welcomed with 40-degree temperatures as their winter season is ending here. The weekend following was packed with copious amount of history tours and learning about the history of South Africa. My first museum visit was to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, which is located next to an amusement park and across the street from a casino. When tickets are distributed at the Apartheid museum they are marked white or black and must enter through the entrance according to your ticket. I received a white ticket and other members of my group received a black ticket. That one initial feel of separation on the basis of skin color was quite moving and powerful and nonetheless set the tone for the rest of the museum visit. The museum was very informative and powerful in its presentation on all of the different players of apartheid and activists of apartheid. The video footage was enough to make my eyes tear at the thought of young people risking their lives so that their own people could have better ones. There was also a section dedicated to the women of the movement, which made my feminist persona very happy. As the orientation continued, we visited more museums in Soweto and Proteria. In Soweto, we visited the houses of Desmound Tutu and Nelson Mandela, which were on the same street, which is also the only street in South Africa (and possibly the world?) where two Nobel Peace Prize winners have resided. After having a crash course weekend with museums, monuments, and cool secret headquarter anti-apartheid farms. We headed to Cape Town on Tuesday to which I was not prepared for all of the beauty and enchantment of this city. The landscape of the city is something I have never seen before with all of the greenery and the mountains. My group and I occupied a hostel for a few days on Kloof St. Our hostel name was called “Once in Cape Town” and conveniently had a great restaurant and bar attached to it. Kloof Street was also not the far away from the famous Long Street in Cape Town and I spend a lot of time getting adjusted to the Cape Town nightlife. During the day, my Xhosa lessons have started and in some ways I find it a hard language because of the all the clicking and the tongue and throat movement but I hope soon that I can get the hang of it. To conclude our orientation, our group hiked Lion’s Head Mountain to which I was the butt to the top and the butt to the bottom. However, it was worth it to get to the top although the clouds that also made our trek very slippery had blocked the views. I am grateful that I had a very patient instructor and friend who made sure I wasn’t alone during the hike when the group was by far way ahead of me. The pains and horrors of the hike also preoccupied my mind of going to my homestay in Langa on the same day. I arrived to a home of a pensioner and school children driver where they have two granddaughters who live with them on the weekend when they are not at school. They have given me the name of “Buhle“ which means in Beauty and Xhosa, although it is not working out as it takes me a while to recognize it when they call our to me. I learned that my host mother has been hosting students for almost 12 years and is very understanding of American students for the most part, which I am very grateful for. Despite how fun my first week in Africa was for orientation, I am relieved to spend some time away from my group and start a normal schedule. P.S I apologize for my lack of photos. My WiFi is subpar and I've been trying to upload this post for the last two days,

Author

As a current college student and permanent student of life: I am fueled by a peculiar passion to help other people find their own passions. I am also a firm believer in the power of communities and their impact on social change.